Up in Flames
by Lady Elena Dawson
Summary: Back in the older days of Salem, Aria was just a young girl lusting for something her heart couldn't have. But when her friend Alison falls under a strange spell by an anonymous person only known as A, Aria's sinful secret, along with her friends', might just be revealed and rip her desire away. Inspired by The Crucible.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I posted this a while ago but took it down when I thought I wouldn't touch it for a while. However,I've been wanting to work on more stories lately and keep an organized schedule, so I added this to the list. I have many ideas in mind, except for some holes in the plot that are still kind of fuzzy. I won't be updating this as frequently as my other stories, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless. It's very different than any other story I've written and the characters, especially Aria, are a bit different than on the show.**

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**Up in Flames**

**Chapter One**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Pretty Little Liars **_**or **_**The Crucible **_**by Arthur Miller.**

_Salem, Massachusetts_

_1692_

The colorful morning sun sprayed warm colors of red, yellow, and orange on the Salem minister's house as it rose in the sky after the horrific events of last night. Shining through the top tainted window, it poured in and shined on the pure white bed. There, immobile and unresponsive, a young woman laid, eyes closed. Her long, blond curls splayed out around her angelic face.

Then her eyes snapped open, revealing a startling blue surrounding a strangely dilated pupil, and her mouth opened wide to let out a loud, spine-tingling scream.

"Alison!" Pastor Ted cried out as he barged into her room frantically. Behind him trailed three girls and two worried parents, who all looked just as panicked as the pastor was.

"She's awake?" whimpered Alison's mother, Jessica DiLaurentis. Her crystal blue eyes widened in fear when she saw her daughter thrashing around on the bed, a sure sign of insanity.

"What's wrong with her?" added Kenneth, Alison's father. Slightly appalled, he drew his wife closer to him and held her tightly.

Meanwhile, the three girls, friends of Alison, sprung on the opportunity and tried to restrain her to the best of their abilities before she hurt herself. "Spencer, Emily, Hanna," Pastor Ted spoke calmly. "Let me handle this."

Defeated, they backed off, and Alison, who had stopped screaming at least, fell limp and unconscious into Pastor Ted's arms.

"Pastor," Jessica croaked. "Will she be all right? What just happened to her?"

Pastor Ted remained silent as he stared anxiously down at the pasty girl. "Goody DiLaurentis, I believe your daughter may be possessed." The three girls—Spencer, Hanna, and Emily—tried to contain their mouths from dropping open in shock. "I've called the reverend, and—"

The door barged open and in marched a young woman Alison's age, panting. Her long, brown curls were ruffled from the wind. "I heard her scream! Is she all right?"

Jessica's expression immediately soured. "What's _she_ doing here?"

Kenneth backed her up. "I'd like to know the same thing."

The short brunette's back stiffened. She hadn't even noticed Alison's parents were in the room. Besides, all she cared about was Alison, but it was hard to keep her dignity over what happened.

"Aria," Pastor Ted said dispassionately. "It's nice to see you." The other blond girl, Hanna, appeared behind Aria and held her arm gently. "Alison had another moment," she whispered in Aria's ear, and Aria's hazel eyes whipped up to meet the pastor's. In them she saw the same fear that's been there since the hysteria last night.

"Kenneth, Jessica, girls… May I speak with Aria alone?" Pastor Ted asked kindly, and sullenly the DiLaurentises agreed, and hesitantly the girls nodded their heads before closing the door behind them.

Gulping, Aria stood with her sweaty hands clasped behind her and back as straight as an iron rod. She knew exactly why the pastor would want to speak to her alone. "Now, Aria," he finally broke the silence. "I know you're worried about Alison. But you know fully well that the DiLaurentises are still upset about…Jason."

The corner of Aria's mouth twitched. "I told them I was sorry!" she cried. "They just don't want to believe that their precious son was the one who—"

Pastor Ted cut her off. "Your reputation is already at stake in this town," he explained, and Aria hung her head in shame as a tear slipped down her cheek. "Why risk it more by being here?"

"Because I was there last night." Aria sniffled. Then, in a soft, guilty voice, she asked, "How's Jenna?"

"Blinded." Her head jerked up and her watery eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. "There was nothing more we could do than dress the wounds. Nothing else could be done."

"Jenna's…blind?" She couldn't grasp how Jenna must be feeling, and that it was actually true.

"Yes. That's not our biggest concern, however." He sighed and took a few steps towards the window, peering out to the marketplace below. His vision focused on a young man around the age of twenty-two with tanned skin and friendly hazel eyes. "The Devil may be haunting the children of Salem," he continued, "and recent rumors have sprung about you and a certain young man."

"W-what?" Aria sputtered. "That's absurd! Why would I, after Jason—"

"Jake's mother is saying some promiscuous things about you at holy mass," Pastor interrupted. "Be truthful, Aria. Are they true?"

Aria's round eye twitched, and she shook her head and pathetically claimed, "I'm a good girl, Pastor Ted! I promised God that Jason was the last, that I'll wait until I'm older and married…" She trailed off, defeated, and looked down at the wooden floor.

Pastor Ted's footsteps were heard before Aria saw his shoes standing right in front of her. "Are they true?" he reiterated, softer this time.

Her bottom lip wobbled. "Yes!" she confessed. "I saw Jake once or twice, but I swear that was it!"

Looking up, she was met by Pastor Ted's strict, stone-like face. "Thank you, Aria," he said, and Aria felt bared, naked. He gestured towards the door. "Now may you please go? This girl needs to be with her parents and God for the moment."

"Yes, Pastor Ted," she whispered before bolting out the door, passing a bitter Jessica DiLaurnetis.

Outside of the church waited Spencer, Emily, and Hanna. "Do you think she's okay?" asked Emily. She was an orphan, a child of a white Puritan mother and Native American father. It was unheard of, but people respected her kind soul over her sinned birth.

"Poor Aria," Hanna, blond-haired and blue-eyed like Alison, sighed. "She's always getting herself in trouble."

Spencer, who had mousy brown hair and dark eyes, lowered her voice and huddled closer to them, arms crossed at her chest. "I can't help but think we shouldn't have let her take us to the forest last night."

Just then the door flung open and out stepped an upset Aria. Instantly she was surrounded by her friends. "What happened in there?" Spencer asked.

Without waiting for an answer, Hanna further questioned, "Did he ask about last night?"

Aria sighed and wiped her wet cheeks. "No, not yet," she answered. "He confronted me about Jason and Jake, and—"

"Wait, Jake?" Spencer interrupted, clearly confused—and disappointed in her friend.

Aria's eyes trailed over to the tanned man glancing occasionally at her from across the street, talking to a couple other men. The girls followed her gaze and became alarmed.

"Aria!" scolded Emily. "You did not—"

"I did," Aria admitted. She stubbed her foot on the dirt road. "It's over, though. I was just trying to make someone jealous."

After a moment of silence, Spencer said, "What are we going to say about last night?"

"What we saw, what we were doing!" Emily stammered. "We have to be honest and say—"

"No!" Aria snapped. "We can't."

The three girls stood around her, mouths agape. "_What_?" hissed Emily. "You can't be serious!"

"I am," Aria said sternly. Then, glancing for the last time at Jake, she mumbled, "Last night _never_ happened."

…

_It was a cold night to be in the woods, but the girls of Salem were willing to take the chance of frostbite over another boring night at the house, praying their love for God. There was something about the crisp air, the shadowy trees, and full moon that made them hunger for sin._

"_Are we almost to the clearing?" whispered an excited Mona Vanderwaal. "I think I see it!"_

"_No, we're not even close," Aria replied, annoyed. For the past ten minutes Mona had been claiming that she saw the open clearing, then apologizing that the darkness was playing with her eyes._

_A girlish giggle followed by the snap of a tree branch trailed behind Mona. "I can't believe we're doing this," snickered Alison. She was the daughter of a wealthy family and probably sinned the most out of all the girls. _

_Except, unlike Aria, whose sins always came to light, no one knew any of Alison's. Only one secret Aria was able to keep, and she was going to take it to the grave, even if it meant an afterlife burning in hell for it. She was on her last nerve and ready to do anything._

"_I heard you and Jake Williams were snogging behind his barn!" Jenna teased Aria in singsong as she jabbed her elbow in Aria's ribs. _

_Cringing, Aria attempted to smile. "He smells like a pig," she joked, bringing out a laugh from Jenna. _

"_So it's true, then?" she prodded. Out of all the girls, Jenna was next in line when it came to sinning after Alison and Aria, though she was able to put up a perfect innocent front._

"_Of course," Aria scoffed. It was true, and she hated that it was. _

"_Yesterday I saw Ezra Fitz get in a little brawl with Jake," Jenna annoyingly continued. "Right in front of the church! Pastor Ted stopped them before it got serious, though."_

"_I wonder what they were fighting about," Aria played along. A smirk took over her lips. _

_A few minutes later and the clearing came into view. "I see it!" yelled Mona, and Alison shushed her. As Jenna, Aria, Alison, and Mona stepped inside the grassy circle, Spencer, Hanna, Emily, Cece, and Melissa followed._

_Melissa was Spencer's older sister, the only one out of the group along with Cece who wasn't seventeen years of age. She, Cece, and Alison claimed to know some witch chants that they were dying to try out._

"_Will you tell us what's in the kettle now?" Spencer demanded as Cece placed a silver kettle on the grass next to the pile of sticks Melissa had been carrying. _

_Smiling wickedly, Cece made sure all the girls were paying attention when she whispered, "Blood."_

"Blood_?" Hanna and Emily exclaimed at the same time._

"_What for?" Spencer sputtered, utterly surprised. "And what from?"_

"_An old chicken we had. There's this charm I want to try," Melissa explained. "But first, we need to light a fire."_

_Mona started to squeal in excitement as Emily rubbed her shivering arms with her numb hands. "I don't think this is such a good idea…"_

"_It's not," Alison proclaimed. "But it's _Aria's_ bad idea." When a small flame broke out among the wood, Alison took the opportunity to wink at Aria, whose hazel eyes glowed in unreadable secrets._

_Jenna began swirling and dancing around the growing fire. "I feel so free!" she exclaimed in the silent wind, and Mona followed her bold move and jumped on her feet._

_As Mona and Jenna passed her, Alison joined in, pulling Hanna with her. At first Hanna was uncomfortable, but then she loosened up a bit and squealed, "How could being so bad feel so good?"_

_While the girls danced and shrieked, Emily, Spencer, and Aria stayed on the sidelines and watched Cece and Melissa as they prepared themselves for the first chant. "This first one is a charm used to murder people," Cece explained. A devious glint shimmered off her blue eyes as she looked up at the three girls, one who looked uncomfortable, one who looked strict, and one who remained emotionless. "Who wants to try it?"_

"_No one has a death wish, Cece," Spencer spat over the girly screams._

"_I have someone in mind."_

_Spencer and Emily were completely bewildered as they stared at who had spoken up. It was Aria._

_Melissa and Cece shared mischievous smiles and giggled before turning their attention to Aria. "First, you need to drink this," Melissa said, handing Aria the kettle of blood._

"_You can't be serious," Spencer spoke up, dumbfounded. But Aria only glared at her and took the kettle. She peeped inside at its sloshing contents._

_Through Aria's neutral demeanor, a war was being fought in her head. She was a good girl with morals who'd slipped up a couple of times, and she knew she wasn't one to kill. But her heart was so dizzy with desire the part of her mind that told her right from wrong was blurry._

_Without another thought she brought the kettle to her lips and drank it. It was still a bit warm and tasted salty and metallic. Emily and Spencer stood to the side with their jaws touching the grassy floor. Wiping the corner of her mouth, she handed it back to Cece._

"_Good girl." Cece simpered, and Alison cried out, "Satan's dancing in the trees tonight!"_

_Nervous, Hanna squeaked out, "Alison!" but Alison ignored her and continued prancing around the fire with Mona and Jenna._

"_Now, get down on your knees," Melissa commanded. Though reluctant, the part of Aria's brain that was controlling her actions had her on the ground within two seconds. "And say the name of the person you'd like to disappear."_

This is bad, _Aria thought. It wasn't right, she knew it. She couldn't wish death upon somebody. Yet she said it anyway. "Maggie Fitz."_

"_Goody Fitz?" Emily shrieked. "What did she ever do to you?"_

_Melissa gave one last sneer before closing her eyes and uttering unintelligible words under her breath. Cece did the same, and they both started swaying in their spots. Spencer took a step back in discomfort._

_All of a sudden, the fire blew up high into the sky, causing the girls to scream. Even Melissa and Cece were knocked right out of their trance and tumbled to the ground. "What did you _do_?" Spencer cried as Melissa answered, "I didn't do anything!"_

"_Jenna!" someone screamed, and it was Mona. All the girls except for Cece and Melissa huddled around where Mona stood next to a knocked-down Jenna. The young woman had her trembling hands covering her face. All Aria could see behind the others was a crisp burn peeking out on her chin._

"_She's hurt!" Hanna cried, tears pouring out of her eyes. Everyone looked like they were ready to run back home and pretend this was all a bad dream._

_Aria heard a soft plop from behind her, like a light body falling on the grass. Turning around hesitantly, she saw Alison lying down with her eyes closed, the palms of her hands facing up. "Alison?" Aria asked uncertainly as she approached her._

_At that moment Alison's body jerked up in an unnatural way, and Aria stumbled backwards screaming bloody murder. Soon everyone was in an uproar, and Alison's strangely bent back was normal again, yet her body continued to have seizures. _

_Once the chaos died down and Alison stopped moving, everyone stayed quiet while standing up on their feet and slowly surrounding Alison's pale body. "What happened?" Hanna whimpered. Mona stayed crouched next to Jenna, sobbing, while Jenna kept crying, "I can't see, I can't see!"_

"_Look," Spencer spoke up, startling everyone. She pointed to Alison's left palm. "There's something on her hand._

_Aria got down on her knees and studied the mark carefully. For a wound so new it was rapidly fading and healing abnormally fast. "Is that a…letter?" Emily asked in a shaky voice. Cece and Melissa looked like they were going to be sick._

_And it was. Engraved in Alison's skin was a crisp, bloody letter A._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Next update for this should be coming soon, most likely this weekend!**

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**Up in Flames**

**Chapter Two**

Eventually the girls split up before dinner, each heading off to their own farm to enjoy a silent meal. The events of the past twenty-fours had left the four feeling like God's eyes were burning into their very souls in rage. Aria had tried to conjure a spell that would _kill _someone, and someone else had gotten hurt and another possibly possessed.

The Montgomery farm was nearby, but Aria didn't want to go home and face the consequences. She could use the air anyway, and decided to go on a long walk. Pastor Ted had probably already told her parents about Jake, and she'd be shunned by her family for a good month or two. And after they were finally accepting her changed-for-the-better self, too.

For years Aria was a huge, sloppy mess. She and Alison were the notorious troublemakers of the town when they were kids, and when Aria grew up into a teenager and discovered boys, the church was there to clean up her sinful mess. Aria had to admit, going to church to have her soul cleansed was a lot better than being whipped once her parents found out about Jason.

But then Aria met Ezra Fitz.

Aria had always known the Fitzes. They owned more property than the DiLaurentises, and had two sons, Ezra and Wesley. Wes was her age, and Ezra was about eight years older than her. When she was little and got stuck in a tree after climbing too high, Ezra was the one who saved her. It had been _his _property, after all. Alison had dared her to do it. It was the only alone time she'd ever spent with him.

A few months ago Aria was in the market when a little boy knocked her basket over, spilling all its contents. He started crying and Aria softly told him that it was not his fault and where his parents were. After he calmed down enough, Aria started telling him jokes to make him feel better. Eventually a frantic young woman named Maggie appeared and thanked Aria for looking after Malcolm. Behind her trailed no other than Ezra.

"_You're great with kids," Maggie complimented her as Aria picked herself up from the ground. She had knelt down so she could be Malcolm's height. "No stranger had ever been able to stop him from crying!"_

"_It was no problem," Aria said, dismissing any crisis and whipping any dust off her cloak._

"_I know this is a bit bold since we just met," Maggie began, a wide, hopeful grin on her face, "but we're looking for a housekeeper. Would you—"_

_Maggie didn't even have to finish. "Really?" Aria asked in disbelief. The whole town pretty much knew about her presumptuous ways and avoided her at all costs. "I would love to!"_

"_Great!" Maggie exclaimed. "You can start next week."_

_At first the job was simple. Aria would help Maggie clean the house and look after Malcolm. Soon Aria would find herself alone in the house while Maggie and Malcolm were out shopping for food, and Aria would dally for a couple minutes and just watch Ezra as he worked out on the field with his brother. Aria couldn't help but notice how strong he was, digging into the earth. She wished she could do something like that and feel the sun on her face instead of being holed up in this drafty home._

_The affair commenced a month into her job. Aria was dusting when the door slammed open, revealing a very worn-out Ezra and Wes. They both acknowledged Aria, who was still startled, and trudged into the kitchen. Strangely Aria's heart was fluttering the whole time._

"_Shoot!" Wes swore. "I forgot something out in the field. I'll be right back."_

_The door slammed shut and it was just her and Ezra. Alone._

_Shyly Aria went into the kitchen and kindly asked him, "Would you like some water, sir?"_

"_Yes, please," he responded. While she was facing away from him, he didn't notice himself admiring her soft profile. When he did, he quickly shoved it aside, blinking his blue eyes as though it would wipe out the interesting happening. She set a pitcher in front of him and smiled sweetly. As he filled a cup she awkwardly stood there and was about ready to leave when he called back, "Wait." She stopped in her tracks. "You can sit. Take a break."_

_Reluctantly Aria turned around and sat down. "Don't tell Goody Maggie this, but I've been on a break for the past couple of hours," she attempted at humor._

_Surprisingly he laughed. "Maggie takes forever when it comes to shopping. She's too picky," he criticized his wife, realizing he didn't hide his bitter tone. He hoped Aria hadn't caught it, but she did._

"_You seem like a nice family," she whispered, looking down at her lap. "Sometimes I think my parents hate me. And my brother, too."_

_Gulping, Ezra knew exactly what she was saying because growing up he felt the same way: always not good enough. Carefully he added, "I know what they say about you around town." Her watery eyes lifted up to meet his. "And I just want you to know that Maggie and I, we don't think the same way."_

_A tear slid down her cheek, but she didn't brush it away. Instead she kept staring at him, almost like she was scrutinizing him. "Thank you," she sobbed finally, breaking down into tears and lying her head down on the table._

_Alarmed, Ezra got up from his seat and put a soothing hand on her back. However, by the way her muscles tensed under his touch, he knew that that was too soon. Slowly he removed his hand from her back and instead scooted a chair closer to her and sat down. "It's all right," he whispered._

"_I'm sorry." He could hear her sniffle from under her arms. _

"_There's no need to be," he said._

_She didn't respond. Instead she looked up, her nose runny and cheeks wet with tears, and stared into his deep eyes before scraping her chair across the floor and scampering to the doorway leading to the living room. "I'm sorry," she excused herself and ran upstairs to hide her shame._

_Progressively they started spending more time together. Their time spent wasn't like the first time; usually they would joke and laugh and tease. Neither one knew who initiated the first kiss. All they remembered was that when their lips met, neither stopped._

_Aria was playfully whipping around a dry sheet she'd freshly taken off the clothesline. She swirled it around before falling to the ground in a heap, laughing. Ezra had just gotten off work and gave a bemused, crinkled smile when he saw her giggling form from underneath the pure white blanket. "What are you doing?" he asked her. _

_Startled, she jumped onto her feet and smoothed out her skirt, embarrassed. One hand was at her pounding chest. "You scared me!" she laughed._

_He came closer to her and took some of the sheet in his hands. "Playing with this?" He raised an eyebrow._

_Aria pursed her lips and teased, "Maybe…" Her hand traveled under the sheet and unintentionally touched his. However, instead of jerking away he interlocked his calloused fingers with her soft ones. Smile falling from her face, she dared herself to look up into his caring blue eyes._

_The rest was a blur. Suddenly he was kissing her so lustfully, he had her trapped on the barn wall. When they broke apart, she just kissed him some more. It was like they were trying to replace all the pain in their different worlds with their touch._

Looking back on it now, Aria couldn't help but silently cry. She truly believed that what they had was _real._ Sniffling she pulled her hood over her head and continued on, almost to her destination.

Meanwhile, Ezra was glaring out the window at the land he'd recently seeded. Maggie had retired to bed early after a fight they'd just had, and Malcolm was asleep, too.

When Maggie learned about the affair, it wasn't pretty. She'd actually caught them kissing rather passionately at their usual secluded spot behind the barn, and letting out a horrified shriek she screamed at Aria until the poor girl had gone so pale she might have fainted. Heartbroken, Ezra had to watch as his angered wife excused Aria from their services.

Ezra shouldn't have felt guilty, especially since he wasn't happy with Maggie, but he did. It was the guilt that kept him away from her for the past few weeks. It killed him every day not to see her, to hear her voice tease him as it always did, but it was for the best.

A figure appeared on the horizon and Ezra's eyes widened in shock when he recognized it. Bolting out the door he ran after her. "Aria!" he panted as he approached her. "What are you doing here? Maggie might see you!"

"Maggie's asleep by now," Aria said definitely, peering up at him from under her hood. She noticed he wasn't wearing a jacket and became concerned. "Aren't you cold?"

"I'm used to it," he said, then changed the subject. "Aria," he whispered softly. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," she admitted honestly. "I have to tell you something."

"Aria," Ezra began, ready to break his—and her—heart again. "We shouldn't be doing this."

"We're not doing anything!" Aria shouted, clearly upset. She bit her lip after her outburst and slowly moved the hood off her face.

Ezra could see clearly now the face he fell in love with. "I needed to talk to you," Aria commenced. "You've probably heard the rumors from around town about what happened last night."

"Yeah." Ezra cringed at the horrible things being said. "They're suspecting witchcraft."

Eyes wide, Aria nodded. "But before I say any of that, I want to say something first." When he didn't reply Aria took that as her opportunity to continue. "I was angry when you picked Maggie over me, okay? You let her kick me out. What we had was so real, I—"

"It wasn't real," Ezra lied straight through his teeth. "Maggie's my wife, Aria, and Malcolm's my son."

Her hazel eyes burned into his, so much so he had to look away. When her warm hand made contact with his cheek, at first he didn't pull away, but then he forced himself to slide it off. He yearned so much to hold her hand when his fingers touched hers, but he knew he couldn't because it wasn't right.

"I _know_ you, Ezra," she whispered, a smidge of hope in her voice. "And I know that you've never hurt so badly as you do now." She licked her lips and kept going. "Before I met you, I was a mess. But now… I've never felt so alive, so right. I can stop pretending to be someone I'm not." Now it was time for the confession. "And Ezra, last night—"

"Stop—" Ezra's voice choked up and he couldn't finish the sentence. "Stop talking."

Aria was taken aback, and pulled her hand, which was barely touching his, away. "W-what?"

"I told you to stop talking," he demanded before making himself look into her wounded eyes. "What we had is _over._ It never should have started."

"But Ezra—"

"_What did I just say?_" he roared, and before he comprehended what he was doing he grabbed her arm forcefully. She whimpered and cried in pain. It was the first time he'd used physical violence on someone, and all because of the ache in his heart for the woman standing right in front of him.

Her face was so close to his, yet her eyes reflected that of pure terror instead of love. As realization passed through his thick head he let her go and she stumbled back, breathing heavily. "Just go," he whispered, now angrier at himself than he's ever been. "Please."

He started walking back to the house, and when he looked behind him he saw she was still standing there, as though he was going to change his mind and eat his words. But he couldn't, or God's wrath be upon him. "Go!" he shouted, and she jumped a bit in fright at his loud, harsh voice.

This time he didn't turn back around, but she made her everlasting presence known. "This isn't the Ezra Fitz I know!" she cried, and he stopped in his tracks. "The one I know would keep me from hurting as much as I am now."

With that, she turned away and kept running. And Ezra knew she was right.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Yay, I've finally decided to update this story! With my limited knowledge of the time period, I've tried to be aware to things that might not have existed in the Puritan time. However, I have not been following with historical dialogue, so excuse me for that.**

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**Up in Flames**

**Chapter Three**

When Aria opened her eyes the next morning, she blinked a few times, disoriented, before glimpsing around her bland room and at the sun pouring in from the grimy window. Her peace, however, only lasted a short-lived sixty seconds before the weight of everything that had happened in the past few days crashed down on her.

Slinking out of bed, she padded to her door and cracked it open cautiously. She had returned home late last night even though her parents had probably waited for hours in a fuming rage to discuss who this Jake was and why Aria had been so careless with him. And then Aria would have to explain that she and Jake had only ever flirted and hugged because when he made the move to kiss her and she refused, he'd hit her. And that wasn't something Aria wanted to reveal. It would be a perfect way for her parents to say, "We told you these guys you sneak around with are brimstone monsters," right before they die of a heart attack when she tells them she'd been fired because of an affair with an older married man.

After opening the door wide enough to fit her head through, she peeked out into the kitchen and dining room. No one was there. Sighing in relief, she stepped out but was immediately grabbed by her wrist.

"Mike!" Aria screamed while her face turned red from surprise and fury. Her younger brother, a sour look on his face, let go of her wrist roughly. "Where in the world were you last night?" he questioned her.

"I was out walking in the fields," she lied. Lies came so easily to her now, it wouldn't come as a shock if she started blurting them out naturally. "I wasn't ready to come home. I needed to clear my mind."

"So you let Mom and Dad worry that Jason or this Jake guy had done something horrible to you?" Mike accused her.

"What?" Aria stammered, her heart racing at the thoughts of both Jason, an insensitive brute, and Jake, a man with a well-hidden temper. "No! I'm done with them. I've learned my lesson."

Mike's eyes traveled down to Aria's wrist and his facial features instantly softened. "Who did this to you?" he asked while gently holding her arm and studying the tender bruise.

"No one!" Aria yelled and pulled away a bit too forcefully. If only Mike knew she had a yellow, fading injury on her ribcage, too. "It was an accident," she mumbled.

"An accident?" Mike wasn't convinced. "I've seen Jason, Aria. He's muscular and extremely strong. So be honest with me: Did he hurt you?"

_No,_ Aria thought in her head. _He never had the chance to. But Jake did. He slammed me in the ribs as soon as I pushed him away. It was a miracle I was even able to get away. _"No," Aria whispered, her lips falling and beginning to wobble. "Listen. Don't tell Mom or Dad, please. Promise me."

Mike bit her bottom lip hesitantly. "Aria—"

"Mike," Aria spoke more sternly, hiding her injured wrist from the sunlight. "Promise me."

"All right," Mike gave in. "I promise."

"Thank you," Aria said. With that, she turned away and bolted back to her room, shrugging on a cleaned dress, jamming a bonnet over her head, and running to the town, tears stinging at her cheeks.

Eventually she had to slow down or she would pass out from the overwhelming thudding of her heart. Wiping away at her dripping eyes, she collapsed on the ground and began to sob. First Jason, then Jake; Ali always pointed her to the wrong guys. When Ali dared Aria to flirt with her brother, she ended up in a brief, hidden relationship she barely survived. Aria still had nightmares about what Jason almost did, but Ali had barged in after realizing that her brother and illegal alcohol, also known as liquid Satan, weren't a good combination. When Aria asked Ali for a nice guy she could use to make someone else jealous, she pointed her out to Jake knowing that as kind and gentle as he appeared in person, he lost it when he didn't get his way. It was all Ali's fault that Aria had been hurt by men before. Now Ezra had hurt her, too, but in more ways than one.

_Flirtatiously Aria reached out and entwined her fingers in Jake's, a seductive smile on her face. "I know what our religion says," she purred, blinking her eyes innocently. "But who knows? Maybe we'll end up courting each other."_

"_Maybe," Jake chuckled as he ran his fingers up Aria's arm. She was a bit too close for approving public eyes._

_Out of the corner of her eye, Aria saw Ezra sneaking curious glances at them from the fruit stand. Pleased by his response, Aria batted her eyes again and started to pull Jake away to a secluded corner behind a building. "Come on," she whispered. "Let's take this somewhere more private."_

"_Tsk tsk," clucked a disapproving woman next to Ezra, rolling her eyes. "Young ones these days. Do they want to burn for eternity?"_

_Ezra's nerves riled up more as he saw Aria and Jake disappear behind the abandoned woodshop building. Malcolm had been pulling on his arm for the past two minutes, but Ezra had been so absorbed with the disgusting way in which Aria and Jake were touching each other that he didn't seem to notice. "Daddy, Daddy," whined Malcolm, and Ezra, shaking his head, finally snapped out of his jealous rage. "Yes?" he said, becoming a bit distant again as a strange feeling tightened in his stomach._

"_So, Aria," Jake began while they snuck away. "What are— Whoa!"_

_Aria had tugged him behind the corner so that she was pressed up against the wall. "Listen, Jake," she said, her flirty side gone. Instead it was replaced by an apologetic glint in her eyes. "I really like you…"_

"_And I like you," he replied kindly with that charming smile._

"_But maybe we shouldn't—"_

"_Shouldn't what?" Jake interrupted her again. His face was looming closer to hers, and Aria gulped anxiously._

"_Get ourselves wrapped up in this fantasy," she blurted out, hoping that he would stop. She was starting to panic because Jake had placed his hands on either side of her arms, trapping her on the wall. The closer he got, the more Aria tiptoed back into the wooden wall, a splinter poking into her back._

"_Jake," she warned him sternly as her hands reached out to push him away by his chest. However, she found it hard to budge him. _

"_Just stop talking," he whispered, and right before his lips touched hers Aria retaliated out of her fear and slapped him across the cheek with all of her strength._

_He stumbled backwards, and as soon as he regained his awareness, which didn't take long, he lunged for her and pinned her against the wall before she could make a proper escape. That's when he had raised his fist and Aria, too scared to do anything but put her hands up to cover her face, received the first blow._

_There was only one hit, though, because a burly man had knocked Jake down and continued punching him across the face, practically spitting cuss words in his face. Due to the pain in her ribs Aria hissed through her teeth, and she poked at the tender area with her fingers. It was definitely going to leave a bruise._

"_Ezra," she cried out when she saw the man brutally beating up the other one. "Stop," she begged, reaching out and grabbing his arm. "Please, stop."_

_When Ezra felt Aria's feminine touch, he ceased his actions, breathing heavily from the adrenaline surge, and watched Jake moan while cupping his profusely bleeding nose. Aria's mouth hung open in shock. "Come on," she commanded him and tugged at his arm as a sign for him to get up. Again, he did as she asked. "Come on!" _

_The two ran away behind the building, hiding themselves from the public eye, leaving behind a very disgruntled, beaten Jake. And unbeknownst to the forbidden pair, Jake wasn't done with either of them._

After curling up and shaking on the ground for a few minutes, Aria finally was able to lift her head off of her knees and stare back at the farm she'd grown up on. What had happened to that sweet, timid girl who had loved to run through the corn fields in the summer? What had she done to that girl? She'd replaced her for someone much more wretched, someone with a rotten heart.

Tremulously Aria stood up on her wobbly knees and dusted the clinging dirt off of her clothing. She had to face Jake and Jason eventually. When she'd gotten the job at the Fitz household, she'd been able to avoid them because she never had to go out to the town unless absolutely necessary. But now she had to go check on Alison.

With a drawn-out, shaky sigh, Aria crossed her arms at her chest and slowly started to stroll down the winding path to the town.

…

By the time Aria reached the daunting church, she felt worn-out like she'd been walking a desert for thirty days. Tilting her head up, she studied the bland architecture of the holy place and pondered where she had gone wrong with her sadly short life. When she turned around to head to the pastor's home, her heart stopped beating and almost jumped out of her chest.

It was Jake. And he was talking to Jason of all people. With nowhere else to go, Aria barged into the church and hid behind a pew, praying to the ceiling and the God above that they hadn't seen her.

Now Aria felt like a scared, caged critter being hunted by a predator. Her heart was beating so fast, it might as well pop out of her throat, and she put her hand over her mouth to prevent any sound, even that of her breath, from escaping. At the sound of the church doors opening, her body stiffened. Had they found her?

"Aria?" someone asked with a worried tone of voice. But it wasn't Jake _or _Jason.

It was Ezra.

"Aria, I know you're in here," he said. Aria peeped out from her hiding spot and saw Ezra standing at the double doors, arms in his pockets, his eyes scanning the entire room from the other end where Aria was. As his gaze got closer, she ducked and continued to cower. She didn't want to come out and let him take her in his arms. Not after he had hurt her and let her walk away.

"You don't need to hide," he spoke again. "Jake and Jason, they're gone. They passed by just now. No one's going to hurt you, Aria. I'm sorry."

On the other hand, Aria bit the inside of her cheek as a couple tears silently slid down her pale face. _No_, she scolded herself. _Don't let him persuade you_.

After a few more seconds of nothing but still air and silence, Aria could hear Ezra's shoes scuff the wooden floor. "I'm leaving now," he announced to the entire room. Right when he was about to open the doors, however, he vacillated. "I'm sorry," he repeated, then barged out of the church.

Sighing in relief, Aria let out a pent-up breath and leaned her head against the pew behind her. What was she supposed to do? She had no idea anymore. Getting up, she smoothed out her skirt and peered out the church windows to make sure Jake, Jason, and Ezra were really gone.

They were. So, Aria opened the door and scampered out, jogging the rest of the way to the pastor's house.

…

When Aria passed the corner that led to Pastor Ted's house, she allowed herself to slow down to a walk and banged on the pastor's door. "Pastor Ted," she called out, her eyes darting all around her in case Jake or Jason showed up out of nowhere.

Pastor Ted opened the door and was taken aback by a strung-out Aria. "Aria," he stammered in disbelief. "I didn't think you'd come back to the town so soon."

"Oh, I know," Aria panted, still out of breath from her run. "I just came to see Alison."

For a moment, Pastor Ted wasn't sure if letting Aria in to see Alison was a good idea. After all, her parents had looked like they'd wanted to strangle him yesterday for even letting her on the holy premises. But by the glimmer in her eyes, he knew he had to let her in just this once. "All right," he agreed, opening the door wider. "Come on in."

Aria darted past him and ran up the stairs. A part of her wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery, but another part just wanted her to focus more on her family instead of the girl who'd ruined her life. But Alison didn't know about Ezra. At least, to Aria, that meant there was one secret Alison couldn't dangle over her head.

Before Aria opened the door to the room where Alison stayed, she paused and took a deep breath. _This isn't your fault,_ she told herself over and over again, yet the chanting didn't help. She tried blaming Cece and Melissa, but Aria was the one with the true bad intentions.

Without another thought she pushed open the door, and immediately her heart sunk. Alison was still in the same lying position, her hands resting on her stomach like a corpse and her blonde curls spread out around her head like a halo. If Aria didn't know better, she would have thought Alison was a dead angel who had fallen from heaven.

"Ali," she croaked out as her eyes watered over. She reached out and took one of Ali's freezing hands in her own. "I'm so sorry, Ali."

After a few seconds of intense waves of emotion that persuaded Aria to close her eyes, she eventually opened them again and noticed the healing scar on Alison's wrist. _A_. Who _was _that? And how did they engrave the letter in Alison's arm when nobody had been near her that night? Were these true signs of witchery and magic?

Again, Aria swallowed the guilt building up along the lump in her throat. "I'm sorry," she reiterated. "I'm so sorry…"

…

Once Aria left the pastor's house with no new revealing information, she walked through the marketplace in a hurry to get home and also to avoid talking to any friends or bump into any enemies. When she reached the path that would lead her home, she sighed in relief and slowed down. While she strolled, she distracted her thoughts from Jake, Jason, Jenna, Ezra, and Alison and instead pondered about her religion.

According to the book, everything she'd done in the past couple years was enough to get her into hell. She knew that sneaking around with boys was wrong unless they were courting her. Yet to her, these simple rules that restricted her and her society into a pure form were actually a bit absurd. In all honesty, every single person in the town must have slipped up at some point, yet not everyone was going to hell. The difference was that Aria's rebellious nature promised her a pass into the inferno, even though she loved God and respected the life he gave her. But now, with all the mistakes from the past few months piling on top of her, Aria wasn't sure if regular church visits would save her from burning.

After reaching her house, she snuck into the back door thinking, _But I'm not a bad girl. That is, I don't think I am. I protect my friends and my family. I listen to my parents and my elders. Yes, I had slacked off a bit, but it was because of the whole Ezra thing. And now Ali and Jenna were hurt and it's all my fault. Does that make me a devil, then? _

"Aria."

Spinning around, Aria gulped audibly when she saw her parents sitting at the dining room table, their backs stiff and hands clasped in front of them. Mike stood in the corner guiltily. "We've been waiting for you," her mother said sternly.

Shakily Aria approached them and collapsed into the nearest chair. "Yes, I know," she admitted. "I've been avoiding you."

"You have," her mother spoke calmly. Then, getting straight to the point, she said, "Dear God help us, Aria. First you were fired by one of the most generous families around and now Pastor Ted is telling us that you had been sneaking around with some man named Jake."

"Why, Aria?" her father blurted into the conversation, obviously disappointed. "We thought we'd raised you better. You're only seventeen. We've found and shown you many suitable young men for you, yet you choose to sin and go for someone unsuitable."

"Frankly, your behavior is wrong," Ella scolded her. "You know that God—"

"Looks down upon a young girl and boy who display affection without courtship," Aria interrupted, knowing the words by heart. But her society didn't care that much about love anyway; marriage was a partnership and contract, in love or not. "I understand, Mom. I won't do it again. I'll—"

"We believe you, Aria," Byron talked over her. "But your behavior is becoming concerning. These sins are becoming too frequent."

"Therefore, we've come to an agreement," Ella continued. "You will stop seeing boys, even friends who are boys. We're delaying any courtship until you're half past eighteen. And you will offer your full service and soul to the church." Aria opened her mouth to speak but Ella held up a hand to silence her. "It's all right, we've alleviated your chores. Pastor Ted, the kind soul he is, has almost fully promised to clean up the mess you've made to yourself. Eventually you'll be able to redeem yourself, especially after what happened to Jenna and Alison, and also Jason and Jake."

Defeated, Aria nodded her head. "Of course," she agreed. "I'll do anything." _Anything to keep my mind off of everything._

"One last thing," Byron said uneasily. "Part of the redeeming process is…to confess why you were fired by Goody Fitz."

Aria's skin flushed and she became a sickly pale. "No," she snapped, standing up. She was panicking now, picturing her parents whipping her and the pastor shaking his head mournfully at her. "I can't!" she shrieked before sprinting to her room.

Lying in her bed that night and staring at the blank ceiling, Aria thought of the _real_ why she couldn't tell her parents the truth about her and Ezra. They would be disappointed, for sure, and the whole town will shun them both. She'd forever live her life isolated on the farm with the knowledge that she had ruined his, too. But then it dawned on her, and her blood ran cold. How could she forget the religious consequences?

The punishment for adultery was death.


End file.
